It's that time of year where nearly every square inch of silver screen space is taken up by the huge, money guzzling juggernauts known as the summer blockbusters (or is it now 'franchises'?). There are exceptions, but, on the whole, they offer little in the way of originality or creativity... and even less in real soul or human drama. I guess that's not what their aim is. Their aim is to generate as much bounty as possible and maybe pave the way for vapid sequels. The onset of 3D has just made them all the more unappealing to me.
With this said, I am really pleased to see two smaller films... and documentaries at that... doing so well upon their recent releases. They are 'Life in a Day' and 'Senna'.
'Life in a Day' may be a small movie, but it has names such as Ridley Scott, Kevin Macdonald and YouTube behind it.
The documentary was filmed by thousands of individuals around the world on 24 July, 2010. The remit was to show what was happening in their lives so that a lasting documentation of life on earth in our times can be preserved for future generations to witness. think of it as a time capsule. 80,000 submissions totaling 4,500 hours of submitted footage was viewed and the selected videos edited down to produce, what looks to be, an extraordinary film I will be seeking out.
'Senna' has been doing remarkably well since its release in the UK and other countries. It is directed by Asif Kapadia. It also has a link with 'Life in a Day' because one of the executive producers happens to be the rather busy Kevin Macdonald.
The film is about Ayrton Senna, the man and the F1 driver who met a tragic, untimely death in 1994 during the San Marino Grand Prix.
Surely after watching these trailers, you'll see something in these films you'll never get in a hat full of Transformers movies!
The energy transmitted from both of these trailers is contagious and makes me want to get out there and 'do' something, anything. We are here for one reason only, I think, to create and live as much experience as possible - whatever this translates as to the individual, don't waste a second.
ReplyDeleteOn an aside, my sister brought home a beautiful book of photographs from Hawaii many years ago called: Hawaii, A Day in the Life of. No prizes for guessing where the inspiration for my blog title came from.
Well, I finally got round to watching Senna. What a brilliant film. A documentary done so well, the narrative matched... and beat... so many fictional films for drama. The production team did such a top class job creating this gripping story from stock footage they must all be commended. A real must see, not just for F1 enthusiasts... but anyone that appreciates good story telling.
ReplyDelete